Who Needs Summer and Winter When It's Springfield in Fall?

After a few weeks chatting with Kelly, I wanted to meet this woman whose great attitude and personality always made me "kik."

With Thanksgiving approaching, we agreed upon a Saturday during the holiday weekend to get to know one another better over a cup of coffee, a little sushi, and an evening watching some of the finest "Redneck Broadway" Branson had to offer. I arrived at Starbucks a little early and sat anxiously in my Xterra waiting for another Nissan to show up. When a white Altima pulled into the parking lot, I made a call to Kelly's cell phone hoping to confirm that she had just arrived. Grrrrrr, my call went to voice mail.

I watched as the driver got out of the car and made her way toward the door of the coffee shop. My gut feeling told me (and noticing how beautiful she was, certainly hoped) it was Kelly. I walked over to her, inquired about her name, and it was there, in the parking lot of Starbucks on S. Campbell in Springfield, MO, we met for the first time.

- smr